Improvement in railway-car couplings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-CAR COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 120,526, dated October31, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORG-E W. MGEUEN and CHANDLER EvEs, both ofMillville, county of Columbia and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedan Improved Car-Coupling; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 2. is a horizontalsection. Fig. 3 is a crosssection in line ai a: of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawing indicatecorresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to provide for public use an improvedcar-coupling; and to this end the invention consists: First, in a novelconstruction of the link and draw-head for thcpurpose of keeping thelink horizontal, so that it will readily enter the opposite draw-head;and, secondly, in an improved construction of coupling-pin, eccentricstop, and lever for operating the stop for the purpose of moreconveniently and securely fastening and releasing the link.

In the drawing, A represents the draw-head, of the usual form, exceptthat the iioor of the interior chamber A declines from the points x tothe rear end, or is made lower between said points than in the vicinityof the coupling-pin, said chamber being open only at its front end, andterminating at its rear end in a wall composed of the solid metal ofthedraw-head, as shown. B is the coupling-pin, articulated to the upperpart of the draw-head, and capable of swinging forward or `backward toadmit or release the link. C is the link, of the usual form, butprovided with a counter-balance attachment, c, the link beingwrought-iron, and the solid part c cast with a groove, into which fitsthe link, so that when the latter is compressed a little at the sides,as shown at e e, the casting cannot work loose or become detached; and Dis the eccentric stop, arranged 'in a groove transverse to thedraw-head, so that, when the handle of the lever L is in the positionshown in Fig. 3, the stop will project up across the path of thesuspended pin and prevent it from swinging forward, while if the handleL is thrown back the stop will no longer project up in the way of thepin; but the latter will be perfectly free to swing back and forth. Thelower end of the pin, it will be observed, projects down into alongitudinal groove in the floor of the chamber A, whereby it is heldsteadily, and its pivot protected from lateral strain. The eccentricdisk D is also firmly supported, so that all strain is taken off of itspivot by being made to fit closely in the transverse groove in thedrawhead. The lever L is bent around under the draw-head, up one sideand over across to the opposite corner, and its extremity is weighted,as shown at n, so as to retain its proper position by its gravity alone,whether locking or unlocking the coupling. The corners of the draw-headat m m m are notched or grooved transversely to receive the lever, whenin the position shown in Fig. 3, and hold it steadily, preventing allstrain upon its pivot. Lugs may be used for the purpose instead of thenotches, if preferred.

The operation of this improved draw-head is brieiiy as follows: Thecounterbalanced link is always presented horizontally to the approachingdraw-head, and is sure to enter properly, a result due to the'weight cand the recess at the rear of chamber A, which allows the end of thelink to drop to the proper position. The lever L is so shaped that, bythrowing the weighted end n, back and forth transversely to thedrawhead, it unlocks or locks the coupling. The cars in coupling aredesigned to present the light end of the link C, the weighted end beingheld in the draw-head. In uucoupling, the light end of the link shouldbe liberated, the weighted end remaining, to a certain extent,permanently attached to its draw-head. In in troducing and fastening theweighted end of the link it will be necessary to first draw forward thepin B, so that the weight c can pass inv under it. When the weight haspassed the pin is dropped and the stop adjusted to hold it in place.

The link does not couple to the draw-head automatically if presentedweighted end first; but when the light end is presented it isselfcoupling.

Having thus described our invention, whatwe edge, Where it is Weighted,as shown at fw, for

claim as new therein, and desire to secure by the purpose hereinspecified. Letters Patent7 is GEORGE W. MCEUEN.

The pendent pin B, supported from the roof CHANDLER EVES. of thechamber, and the lever L, constructed so p as to extend across under thedraw-head to the Witnesses: side, thence up to the top through thenotches ELIJAH M. RISNER, or grooves fm m and over beyond the oppositeJOSEPH E. EYES. (122)

